Quarterfinal day in the Saarlandhalle – and all eyes were on the two German doubles Linda Efler/Thuc Nguyen and Daniel Hess/Marvin Seidel. Only one pairing made it into the top four.
“We didn’t think it would be so clear,” said Linda Efler after the clear 21:11 and 21:14 against Julie Macpherson and Ciara Torrance. The day before, Efler had predicted a “close match”. Efler and her partner Thuc Nguyen played a fantastic match against the Scots, inspired by around 400 fans in the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken.
Nguyen was happy: “It’s my first semi-final in a 300 tournament – and at home too!” On Saturday, the two Germans will meet the second-seeded Ukrainian duo of Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr. There is a direct reunion between Nguyen and Kantemyr – the women faced each other in the mixed doubles in the second round. There with the better ending for Nguyen alongside Jones Jansen.
The other semi-finalists in the women’s doubles: Natasja Anthonisen and Maiken Fruergaard from Denmark and the top seeds from Taiwan Sung Shuo Yun and Yu Chien Hui.
“That hurts”: Hess and Seidel out
The journey of Daniel Hess and Marvin Seidel ends in the quarterfinals. On Thursday, the local heroes moved into the top eight with an exhilarating performance against the European vice-champions Toft/Søndergaard. Then it was over against two other Danes: Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard, 19:21, 17:21.
The disappointment was written all over the Germans’ faces. Hess said: “I would have liked to play again. That does hurt. And it’s not like the Danes were unbeatable and we can’t blame ourselves for anything.” Seidel analyzed: “We didn’t do as well as in the previous round. We gave the Danes too many points. In the end it was wafer-thin, a shame.” Nevertheless: “It’s so exciting to play in front of the spectators.”
Lundgaard/Vestergaard will now face the Englishmen Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in the semi-finals, who have so far marched through the tournament without losing a set. In the second semi-final, the Popov brothers Toma and Christo will play against the Danes Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Søgaard.
